Tips to draw faster

Sometimes you just want to get faster! Speed will naturally come with practice, but getting there requires a shift in how you approach the canvas. The more you draw, the more comfortable you will become with your tools and your own style. This sounds pretty obvious, but drawing fast can feel intimidating, especially if you are like me and get caught up in the tiny details way too early.

One of the most helpful things I started doing was start using scratch paper or a dedicated “ugly” sketchbook meant for really unrefined work. When the paper is expensive or the sketchbook feels “precious,” it’s hard to let go and just draw. Lowering the stakes allows you to make mistakes faster and therefore learn faster.

If you’re struggling to let go, try setting a timer for 10-15 minutes. If that feels too much, set it for 60 seconds which can help spark momentum. Try to draw as much as you can in that time frame, and this will help you release the feeling of trying to get a perfect drawing. You can even break it down further with 30-second to 1-minute gesture drawings. A site I personally love for this is Line of Action. It forces you to capture the essence of a pose without worrying about details.

Another tip is to always start with simple shapes & gesture lines, which can be drawn quickly and add a lot of energy to the work. Working your way up from basic construction to more complex forms helps you get faster because you are building understanding of the subject and aren’t guessing where things go. If the foundation is solid, adding details is much easier and faster.

Don’t be afraid to use references, but try not to stare at them for too long at a time. Try to look quickly, internalize the shape, and then draw from memory for a bit to build that visual library. I try to go back and forth pretty quickly, and sometimes flipping the canvas or the reference can really help.

Lastly, try limiting your tools. If you’re working digitally, don’t spend an hour picking the “perfect” brush or the perfect color palette. Pick one hard round brush and one textured one, and see how far you can get. Try a restricted color palettte challenge, and we can help with that at https://artres.xyz/needcolors! Restricting your options can help you get faster.

I’d love to see what you’re working on! You can find me over at instagram.com/akufta.art — I would love to make more art mutuals ❤️